Sprinkler



June 30, 1936. L w KNIGHT 2,046,169

SPRINKLER Filed June 2, 1934 I" .1. 3 1g E Z'\ g/E i; A F ii ii i: l! I: CY, "1: u

Patented June 30, 1936 I UNITED STATES SPRINKLER Ira w. Knight, Providence, R. I.,-assignor to General Fire Extinguisher Company, Providence, B. L, a corporation of Delaware Application June 2, 1934, Serial No. 728,712

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sprinklers. More especially it has to do with a sprinkler that may be mounted close by a vertical wall and efiect distribution to a considerable dis tance away from the wall.

For various reasons of necessity or choiceit is frequently desirable to install sprinklers along the walls of aninclosure. When the ordinary sprinkler withthe usual deflector is so mountedthe discharge against the wall is about equal to that in direction away from the wall because such sprinklers are-designed to distribute with substantial uniformity over a circular area concentric with the vertical axis of the sprinkler. While this plan of distribution is satisfactory when the sprinklers can be placed about the ceiling of an inclosure it is quite unsatisfactory when such sprinklers are arranged along the vertical walls.

Too much water is wasted on the wall surface and too little is spread over the area extending away from the wall.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler which may be mounted adjacent a vertical wall and still deflect or spread the greater portion of its discharge in directions away from the wall, albeit giving ample coverage for the wall surface as well. More specifically, the invention involves the provision of a novel deflector which may be attached to an ordinary sprinkler frame in place of the customary round disk deflector, and which will deflect the greater portion of the sprinkler discharge to varying distances on one side of the sprinkler.

The accompanying drawing shows the best mode'in which I have contemplated applving my invention but this is to be taken as merely illustrative for it is intended that the patent shall cover by suitable expression in the appended claims whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention as a whole.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a viewshowing the interior of an inclosure with sprinklers embodying-the invention mounted on opposite walls thereof;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the improved sprinkler;

Figure 3 is a front elevation thereof; and

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken as on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the inclosure A represents a room where it is either not possible or desirable to install sprinkler heads as usual near the ceiling B. In such cases it has been the practice to run the supply pipes C along the vertical walls D (either outside or inside) and mount the sprinklers E on short arms F close by the inner vertical surface. As previously stated, when a sprinkler with the usual disk deflector is so installed substantially one-half of its discharge is needlessly thrown onthe wall surface and the remaining half is only available to protect the space extending away from the wall. If the roomis wider than the effective extent of such sprinkler discharge it is obvious'that the central portion of the inclosure. is without adequate sprinkler protection, if indeed it has any at all.

To provide suitable protection to a considerable distance from the wall and still amply protect the wall surface as well, the present invention provides a novel deflector G preferably adapted to be associated fixedly with the usual sprinkler frame. The frame. shown in the drawing is that e of the well known bulb or Quartzoid sprinkler. The hollow base H is externally threaded for engagement with a conduit of flre extinguishing medium, such as the pipe F, and from this base arms I extend upward to form a closed yoke. Between the latter and an upstanding seat J formed on the hollow. base is a heat-responsive strut. In the Quartzoid sprinkler this comprises a gasket K, a valve L, a flanged cap M, a frangible bulb N, a washer O, and a pin P. Within the cap M are resilient means (not shown). When the sprinkler is assembled these means are initially placed under stress imposed on the pin P which then extends through a cylindrical hole in the yoke as indicated in dot-and-dash outline at P in Figure 4. When the proper load has been imposed on the strut the material in the top of the yoke is swaged into a groove 11 of the pin, thus securing the pin and yoke together.

At this stage of the assembly the novel deflector G is attached. This has what may be termed a hollow hub portion Q into the hollow of which may extend the upper or joined portions of the arms I. The pin (P') initially projects through a hole in the upper part of the hub and then is turned down and spun over onto the hub as shown clearly in Figure 4 to bind. the deflector and frame together.

Looking now at Figure 2 particularly, the deflector is seen to have a plate-like portion extending across the frame with the greater part of it gradually rising and providing a deflecting surface GI. On one side of the frame this makes an obtuse angle with the vertical axis of the sprinkler, while on the other side the angle is acute. On what may be termed the wall side of the frame, beyond the gradually rising surface, the plate turns. rather sharply downward to prowith some slight divergence as indicated by the dot-and-dash lines a: and g. It is to be noted that the stream strikes the deflecting surface GI so as to be deflected, for the most part, slightly upward and to the left as seen in Figure 2. Thus the greater portion of the stream passes off the edge of surface GI and a relatively small portion passes 01f the curved surface G2. Consequently if the latter surface is placed toward the wall, as. shown inFigure 1,onlyarelativelysmallpartofthe discharge will be deflected on the wall by the surface G2. The perforations G3 permit the discharge of some water upward to protect the upper portion of the wall.

Not only is the major part of the discharge deflected by the surface GI but it is deflected in direction such that it travels mainly outward and spreads over a considerable area. This follows whether the sprinkler is mounted upright as shown on the right in Figure 1 or mounted pendant as seen at .the left of that figure. As a result the horizontal distribution in directions away from the wall is materially increased over what it would be if the customary sprinkler with the ordinary deflector were used.

I claim:

1. A sprinkler having a. base with a nozzle therethrough arranged for vertical discharge of a fire extinguishing medium; arms extending from said base to form ayoke overlying the nomle; and a deflector mounted on said yoke having a deflecting surface at an angle to the direction of flow through the nozzle; said deflector having a substantially flat portion extending on one side of the yoke at an obtuse angle to said direction of flow and extending on the other side at an acute angle to the said direction of flow and terminating on the said other side in a curved portion which curves toward the base of the sprinkler; the said curved portion having holes therethrough.

2. A sprinkler having a base with a nozzle there-. 7

through arranged for vertical discharge of a flre extinguishing medium; means extending upward from said base to form asupport; and a deflector mounted on said support having a deflecting surface overlying said nozzle at an angle to the direction of flow therethrough; said surface comprising a substantially flat portion extending to one side of said support and at an obtuse angle to said direction of flow, and extending on the other side of said support at an acute angle to the said direction, and terminating on said other side in a portion which curves toward the base of the sprinkler; the said supporting means being constructed and arranged to offer substantially no obstruction to the flow along said deflector.

3. A sprinkler having a base with a nozzle therethrough arranged for' vertical discharge of a fire extinguishing medium; arms extending from said base to form a yoke overlying the nozzle; and a deflector mounted on said yoke having a deflecting surface at an angle to the direction of flow through the nozzle; said deflector having asubstantially flat portionextending to one side of and at an obtuse angle to said direction of flow and extending on the other side of and at an acute angle to the said direction of flow and terminating on the said other side in a curved por-' tion which curves toward the base of the sprinkler and deflects a portion of the flow downward past the said base on the said other side; the said arms flector.

' IRA W. KNIGHT. 

